


My Hero-in the Dark

by Zalpal



Category: IT (2017)
Genre: 17 year old sex, Drug Use, Heroin, Homophobia, I'm Sorry, Is this how you tag?, Language, M/M, Parental Abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sex Work, Sexual Abuse, Spouse Abuse, Underage Drinking, Underaged Drug Use, first fic, general awfulness ahead, junkie richie, mostly just reddie, other losers mentioned in passing, pennywise is referenced but doesn't really show up, really awful, verbal/emotional abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-09 01:58:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13471299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zalpal/pseuds/Zalpal
Summary: “You need to grow up, Richie.  You said you quit.  How can you do this to us.”  The coldness leaking out of Eddie’s voice as it broke.Richie is a junkie who ruins his relationship with Eddie until many years later.  Very dark.





	My Hero-in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first fanfic, please go easy on me. Anyways, this is going to be very very very dark. I’m using the 1976 birthday from the 2017 movie because I don’t feel like I know enough about the 50’s to write it with the original birthday. The rest of the losers won’t be mentioned much this is really just Eddie and Richie. Pennywise did happen, but it’s still an AU of course
> 
> Trigger warnings for drug usage, abuse, rape, prostitution, abandonment, parental abuse, underaged drinking, homophobia, sexual abuse, language, underaged sex (between minors like 16-17ish) mental illness, and general awfulness. THE FIRST SECTION IS THE WORST, SKIP THE FIRST SECTION IF SEXUAL ABUSE IS A TRIGGER PLEASE. Really just don’t read this and let it slip down the reddie tag as better fics come up.

**1995**

The room was dark, cold, and empty except for a tall, very thin boy curled around himself on the filthy mattress surrounded by moth eaten blankets. The only sound other than his breathing was the scuttering of insects across the dusty floor and the hiss of the icy wind through the old windows that had long lost their ability to seal properly. Richie had always been thin, lanky but now he was skeletal. He was soaked in sweat, shaking. His stomach felt as if it were trying to burst from his body like a baby xenomorph, his heart raced, his hair was plastered to his face, head pounding pounding pounding. His glasses were thrown to the side, cracked. His cracked glasses didn’t matter to him though, he’d rather not be able to see his abysmal surroundings. 

A man walked into the room. Richie turned over to not look at him. It was easier if he didn’t have to see their faces. He could pretend it wasn’t a stranger, that it was someone from his past but that was only when he was high enough he didn’t feel the pain. He didn’t feel the rough dirty nails on his hips. He didn’t feel the slaps. He didn’t feel the blood dripping down his thighs after. This was not one of those times. He was not high enough. Richie was stone cold sober and that was why he was in this situation. He needed a hit; he needed to get high. The withdrawals were ripping him to shreds. 

“Flip over sweetcheeks. Flip over for daddy.” Daddy. The word sent Richie back to his past, the hands of his own father brutalizing him. He wondered if his father Wentworth even thought about him anymore or if he was better off without Richie just like everyone else. This was what Richie was good for, this was all Richie was good for. The man used one hand to turn Richie’s thin body over. Richie might have been 6 foot 3 but his tendency to pick a hit over food left his body at a mere one hundred and forty pounds of bones and sinew. Richie let his face be pressed into the mattress. Richie let the man lift his hips up and listened to the horrible melody of a zipper being pulled down. Richie tried to listen to the pounding blood in his ears instead. The man was rough. Richie felt like he was watching this happen to someone else, that he hadn’t let this happen to himself, this wasn’t his life. He fought a demon clown and he couldn’t get off the h-train. He let strange men fuck his body, treat him like a toy. He let them hit him, use him. He let himself become nothing. He didn’t think he’d ever meet a demon more terrifying than IT but heroin was a towering monster over him dripping sweet black tar from its mouth, promising days of happiness and then weeks of hell. The man grunted as he finished inside of Richie. The man stood up and zipped up his pants.

“You’re not a very good whore, are you? You just lay there. You’re lucky I like that sweet ass of yours or I might not even give you this.” The man tossed a baggy full of powder to Richie’s prone body before leaving. Leaking blood and cum Richie reached for the bag. He pulled it close to his body. For the first time in days, Richie smiled. 

 

**1992**

“Eds, it’s my sixteenth birthday this is what I want for my birthday!”

“Don’t call me Eds” Eddie said before answering “I’ve just never gotten high before not everyone is a bad seed like you.”

“I’ll put some really bad seed inside of you, Spaghetti Man” Richie said wiggling his eye brows at the smaller boy. “Besides this will be fun, it even has your name in them, EDibles!” 

Eddie looked at Richie without a smile and said “I am going to kill you.” 

Richie leaned in “With kisses?” Eddie put his hand in the bag of flour next to him quickly flicking it in the tall boy’s face. Richie responded by putting his hand in the brownie batter and smearing it on Eddie’s face. Eddie shrieked in response quickly flinging baking powder back in retaliation. Richie grabbed the sugar dumping it on Eddie cackling “Some sugar ‘cause your ass is so sweet”. He received an egg to the chest from Eddie in response. 

The kitchen was quickly plastered in assorted baking materials. It was a miracle any of the brownie batter actually made its way into the oven surviving the battle. The pair spent the time the brownies took to bake scrapping the floors and walls clean of their mess. Thankfully, Eddie was good at cleaning because Richie was more trouble than help. Eddie went home after the kitchen was cleaned.

The rest of the losers were celebrating together tomorrow and the brownies would be brought to the party that was being hosted at Mike’s barn, but Richie had convinced Eddie to get high just with him the night before. Richie would have been lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. Not about the weed, he was used to the weed, but being high with Eddie just seemed bigger. He knew how he felt about Eddie and he knew he had enough trouble with his trashmouth when he was sober much less under the influence. He didn’t want Eddie to reject him on his birthday and then ruin the group and the party tomorrow because he couldn’t keep his big mouth shut. 

Eddie wasn’t allowed to go out two nights in a row. It had been hard enough to convince Sonia to allow Eddie to go out for the party, though as far as she knew it was a game night. Sonia was not about to let Eddie spend the night at her least favorite of loser’s houses the night before. If Eddie couldn’t come to Richie, Richie would come to Eddie. Eddie left his window unlocked for Richie every night already and Richie took advantage of that. His home life wasn’t great and Eddie had tended to the bruises Wentworth left behind more often than either of the boys would admit. Tonight, was a celebration though. Tonight, there were no bruises. Richie climbed up to Eddie’s window carrying a baggy with two brownies in his mouth like it was second nature, it probably was by now. He didn’t bother knocking, just slipped the window open and climbed right in. Even though Eddie was expecting him, Eddie still jumped. 

They ate the brownies, one might have been significantly larger than the other. Ten minutes later Eddie was accusing Richie of bringing normal brownies just to fuck with him. Richie laughed explaining that it takes time. An hour and a half later it was obvious that these were not normal brownies. “Eds Eds open your eyes” Richie bumped him with his shoulder.

“I love when you call me Eds.” He said lazily, his head tipping to rest on Richie’s shoulder. “My eyes are open.” Eddie mumbled with closed eyes.  
“Wow. You really must be high to say that. You ok?” Richie tried to not feel the blush rising to his cheeks from Eddie’s comment, grateful for the dark to hide the red painting his cheeks. 

“I’m always ok with you, ‘Chee” Eddie snuggled into Richie and Richie began to question whether this was the worst decision he’d ever made or the best. 

They held each other in silence for minutes or maybe hours. Time always moved differently when it was just the two of them. Richie was chewing on the inside of his mouth, trying to eat the words that were crawling up this throat, clawing their way across his tongue before leaping out of his mouth “I LOVE YOU”. Eddie answered with a kiss. Richie was overwhelmed by the sensation of Eddie’s lips on his, no one could overwhelm Richie like Eddie. And that was that. After that night they were RichieandEddie, EddieandRichie for the next two years. 

 

**1994**

Ice cold water soaked Richie to the bone. “Get the fuck up.” Eddie said, his voice colder than the water he just poured on his boyfriend. Richie was in the bathtub passed out. Again. “You need to grow up, Richie. You said you quit. How can you do this to us.” The coldness leaking out of Eddie’s voice as it broke. He tried to keep him clean but how could he when every dealer was a friend. 

“Shut the fuck up. You’re leaving me anyways. You’re going to your big fancy school and I’m going to be left here. If you loved me you would have stayed and why should I stop? Because you want me to? Ha. We all want things Eds, sorry you don’t get your way for once.” Richie opened his blood shot eyes. Eddie could smell the rancid sweat on his skin. He smelled like drugs. He smelled like alcohol. He smelled like his parents. Blood that had dried under his nose from his nosebleed was moistened by the water and started to drip down his face, slowly. 

The hurt showed on Eddie’s face immediately. He put his head down, willing the tears back so Richie wouldn’t see him cry, again. He wouldn’t let Richie make him cry again. “I’m sorry Richie. I’m done.” He turned and walked out of the Tozier house. He had to finish packing for college. Richie was going to let himself be destroyed by Derry but Eddie was going to escape. 

 

**1993**

Eddie Kaspbrak was not allowed to go to prom. His mother Sonia did not want people to see her son as a “queer with a lowlife boyfriend”. Eddie was devastated that he was not going to get to attend his senior prom with the love of his life. He did convince his Sonia to allow him to go to Bill’s house and spend the night though after a long guilt trip. So, Eddie made his way over to Richie’s instead. Eddie was going to spend prom with his boyfriend even if it couldn’t be at prom.

Eddie opened the door to the Tozier house and was welcomed to an unexpected sight. The messy, dark living room was replaced with a clean candle lit room. Richie was standing in the center of the room in a suit holding a bouquet of plastic roses. Cheesy 80’s music was playing in the background and Eddie could see past the living room into the kitchen where finger foods and a mixing bowl full of what Eddie could only assume was punch were waiting. “I know your allergies and asthma and stuff so I didn’t want to get you real flowers. I hope these count.” He pulled one from the bouquet and carefully pinned it to Eddie’s tee-shirt. Eddie felt his eyes welling up with tears and wrapped Richie in a tight hug. “May I have this dance?” Richie murmured into his ear. They danced to “Take on me” by Ah-Ha. Richie brought Eddie a drink and said “I spiked the punch for us, gotta give my Eds the real prom experience.” He winked. 

Eddie’s eyes flashed with determination as he chugged the drink all at once. He looked up to meet Richie’s eyes, a sly smile on his face. “You know what else is part of the prom experience?” Richie’s eyes widened, they had done some things but he never wanted to pressure Eddie and honestly, Eddie had more experience with boys than Richie. Eddie would be Richie’s first. Richie wouldn’t be Eddie’s first. Eddie took Richie’s hand and began to lead him to his room. 

“Nope.” Richie said scooping Eddie up bridal style and carried him to the bed. Richie laid Eddie down and crawled over him, kissing and licking his way up to Eddie’s mouth. As Richie’s long tongue made its way across Eddie’s neck, Eddie whined in enjoyment. 

“Please Richie” He moaned. Richie thought he might just cum in his pants listening to Eddie moan. Richie began to tease and bite Eddie’s neck. He knew he should be nervous but how could he be nervous when it was Eddie. This was his Eddie. Eddie was safe. Things were right as long as Eddie was here.

Eddie quickly tired of Richie’s teasing and flipped the boy over to sit on top of the taller boy’s lap. Richie let him and hissed his appreciation for the smaller boy, “You’re so fucking gorgeous, Eddie.” Richie was blown away that this actual tiny god was perched on top of his lap like he fucking owned it, and as far as Richie was concerned, he did. Eddie pushed his small hands on Richie’s chest as he rolled his hips into his lap. Grinning as he saw Richie start breathing heavily. Eddie scooted backwards, carefully undoing Richie’s suit pants pulling them down his long legs. 

He couldn’t help but bark out a laugh “Seriously Rich? No underwear?” 

Richie winked saying “Sorry Eds, I was with your mom before you came ov-“ he was cut off as Eddie sucked his hard on deep into his throat “Jesus fuck Eddie, you’re almost as good as your mom.” He panted.

Eddie took his mouth off of Richie to say “I swear Tozier if you say one more word about my mom you’ll be jerking off alone tonight.” Richie made the zipping his lips and throwing away the key motion as Eddie narrowed his eyes and went back to work. Eddie was a very clean boy who gave very sloppy blowjobs. Richie was gripping the bed sheets like they would keep him from floating away to heaven. He was already in heaven. No one could overwhelm Richie like Eddie. Eddie reached over across the twin bed to his bed stand to grab lube from the bedside drawer. He poured some into his hands and used one hand to rub Richie and one hand to finger himself. He couldn’t wait though. Before long Eddie lowered himself down onto Richie. Richie placed his hands on Eddie’s soft hips and tried to help hold the boy up so he wouldn’t go too fast but Eddie was having none of that. Richie pulled Eddie down against his chest, wrapping his long arms around him. 

“I love you Eddie Kaspbrak. I always will.” He whispered into his neck. Richie was overwhelmed by Eddie and Eddie by Richie. Richie couldn’t hold back any longer. He came inside of Eddie, hard. “Your turn Eds” he said smiling lazily, removing the small boy from him and flipping over, shaking his ass. Eddie was a little shocked but took it into stride. He leaned forward licking Richie’s entrance, pulling a long whine from Richie. He lubed one finger, then two, once Richie was pushing back on three happily is when Eddie knew Richie was ready to take him. He pushed into Richie, slowly, gently. He leaned over the taller boy, planning to kiss his neck but not being able to reach so he had to deign to lay kisses across his shoulder blades. Eddie’s small hands made gentle circles on Richie’s hips, moving with controlled thrusts as to not hurt Richie. 

“You’re so tight Rich” Eddie panted out. Richie wanted to respond with a smart comment but he was too distracted by Eddie speeding up, his hands tightening on Richie’s hips. Richie was already fully hard again and feeling close. “I’m so close ‘Chee.” Eddie came hard into Richie and the nickname paired with Eddie filling Richie completely caused Richie to finish, spilling hot cum on the bed spread. Richie couldn’t hold himself up anymore and fell to the bed, pulling Eddie with him. Eddie snuggled into Richie, both ignoring the sticky wet spot, “this was the best prom ever” he sighed. 

 

**1998**

“Hi everyone, I’m Richie Tozier and –“

“No nicknames Mr. Tozier.”

Richie rolled his eyes trying to bite back a smart response, “Fine. Hi everyone. I’m Richard Tozier and I am a recovering heroin addict.” He sat back down, slumping into his chair. Somehow, he had managed to get through the brutal withdrawal symptoms but the shame was almost as bad. Suffocating. Just ninety days. He promised himself just ninety days in a row he’d attend this awful group. He just needed to feel like he was doing something, making progress. 

Later that night Richie was sitting at a bar. He probably shouldn’t be in bars currently; he was trying not to drink because whenever he drank he wanted more than just alcohol. He had always been a risk taker though. He waved the bartender over “Hey man, can I get a water on the rocks?” He asked with a wry grin. The bartender laughed and brought a glass over. Richie pulled out a bent notebook from his backpocket and a chewed-up pen. 

_Hey Cutie, I’ve been thinking about you a lot_

He groaned and ripped the page out, crinkling it up.

_How’s it going Special K? Your mom’s bed is great but I’d rather be in yours_

Trashed

_Eds, I still lo-_

Trashed

_Eddie Spaghetti I miss your meat balls_

He put his head down on the table. He wanted to get this right. He didn’t even know what to write, how could it make things right between him and Eddie when he couldn’t even look at himself in the mirror; how could he expect Eddie to be able to look at him? He was running out of pages in his notebook and the trash bin next to him was running out of space as balls of crinkled paper stacked and stacked and stacked.

_I’m clean, Eddie. I wish I could have done this when I still had you._

He sighed and tore the page out, about to crinkle it up and add it to the pile but paused, scribbling his number on it before he folded it up, putting it in his pocket. He walked back to his crummy one-bedroom apartment and started putting together a mixtape. Once the mixtape was finished he laced up his shoes and started jogging a path to the Kaspbark house, no matter where he was he could always find his way back there. He hoped Eddie would come home from college soon and read it. At the same time, he didn’t want to ruin Eddie again. He ruined everything. Richie put the note and CD in the mailbox and ran before he could change his mind.

 

**2003**

Eddie was back in Derry. He hadn’t been back since 1994 when he left his mother behind. Since he left Richie behind. The name still made him ache, but it was an ache that time had softened. It was funny, he hadn’t thought of Richie in years, but once he was back on Derry’s damned soil, he couldn’t stop. Sonia’s funeral took place today and Eddie was overcome with feelings. This was the woman who had drugged him, who locked him inside, who bred fear into him, who ruined his childhood with sicknesses that never existed. This was his mommy who tucked him into bed, made him warm dinner, who watched movies with him, who wrapped him up and took care of him the few times he actually was sick. He hated her. He loved her. He regretted not saying goodbye. He didn’t believe her when she said she was sick, that she was dying. Why would he? She said it all the time. This time it was true though. She wasn’t around to say I told you so. 

He met a girl at the funeral, she said she was a friend of his mother. She and his mother went to church together. Her name was Myra. She was a little chubby but she had soft kind eyes and a gentle voice. “Let’s get you some food and rest. You look so tired, this must be so hard on you. Let me make you feel better.” And Eddie let her. He woke up the next morning in his childhood home on the couch, through hazy, half-awake eyes he saw Myra in the kitchen cooking breakfast. He could have sworn she was Sonia before he drifted back to sleep.

 

**2004**

Myra and Eddie were finally going to go clean out his childhood home. Sonia had died a year ago but Eddie hadn’t wanted to spend a minute longer than necessary in Derry and Myra was preoccupied with the impromptu decision, made mostly by her, to move to New York with Eddie. Eddie needed a woman to take care of him, according to Myra, and it was all too easy for Eddie, or Edward as Myra insisted upon calling him, to allow her to. It felt comfortable even if he wasn’t filled with elation to see her. If he was honest, he was filled with dread more often than not but he was not honest. Thankfully, Myra was a religious woman who wanted to wait until they were married to sleep together but the shiny engagement ring adorning her finger was a constant reminder to Eddie that day was coming. He probably should have told his fiancée he was gay but she did more talking than listening. It was easy to be in a relationship with Myra. He wasn’t even sure if him being gay would matter to her, it’s not as if she had shown any interest in anything physical with him. Sometimes, he felt like more of a trinket just like that shiny diamond on her finger, than a partner. 

They drove up to the house Eddie feeling a deep since of dread uncurling itself in his stomach. Myra was prattling about whether they should do baby pink and grey or baby blue and grey for their wedding colors. He listened to her with as much attention as someone listening to TV static. Somehow Sonia managed to become somewhere between a hoarder and an organizational addict in the years before her death. Everything was alphabetical, stacked in neat shelves along the walls but there was so much stuff. There were boxes upon boxes and shelves upon shelves and drawer upon drawers and cabinets upon cabinets. Papers and trinkets and clothing and pharmacy bags and folders and board games filled every corner and wall of the house making the small house feel almost as claustrophobia as it did before the woman who lived in it died. Eddie sighed knowing that this was going to be at least a week’s work. Myra brought Eddie his inhaler “Here baby, this dust is bad for your asthma.” Eddie had tried to explain to Myra he didn’t really have asthma but he’d given up a long time ago. It was easier that way. Myra was a force to be reckoned with, throwing away everything. She barely looked at the objects in her hands before tossing them in the trash. Myra insisted it all had to go because she and Eddie were starting a new life together and they didn’t need anything from before they were together. Interestingly enough this policy didn’t seem to apply to her own possessions but always would certainly apply to his. 

Once the sun set they got takeout and Myra made her way upstairs to take a shower. Out of the corner of his eyes, a garish blue drew his eye, the fabric dangling out of the side of the bulging trash bag like a flag on a barren wasteland. It was a button up Hawaiian shirt. Memories that had been erased by IT’s influence when he left Derry came crashing back as he ripped the shirt out of the bag, not caring that its contents went spilling across the floor. The short man dropped to his knees, he wasn’t sure why he was so angry, but he was furious. He began ripping through the bag with his hands, hot tears just starting to spill from his eyes. He didn’t even care that he was _digging through the trash._ He found school notebooks. He found sweatpants from a man much taller than his 5 foot 6 frame. He found a CD case. He opened the CD and like a mad man scrambled to find a player. He knew his mom had one somewhere in this mess. He swept his hands across shelves pushing their contents to the floor in his desperate pursuit. It had to be somewhere. It had to be. His eyes wild, he spun around the room until he eyed the old dusty player on the bottom shelf of one off the cabinets. He cradled it like it was the holy grail as he delicately placed the CD in. “Africa” by Toto started ringing out and Eddie couldn’t bear it anymore, the dam wasn’t just broken, it was demolished. He read the short letter from the inside of the CD case over and over and over and over and over and over. His tears smearing the already messy handwriting. He heard the shower water turning off from upstairs and he bolted, grabbing the CD as he went. He pulled out his cell phone. Myra insisted he have one just so she’d have an easier time reaching him when he was working long shifts at the hospital. With shaky fingers he typed the numbers on the note

_Ring_  
_Ring_  
_Ring_

“Hello?” a deep voice that had been ravaged by cigarettes answered but the voice sounded sweeter than honey to Eddie. 

“Can you meet me at the Quarry? Please?” Eddie choked out before hanging out. He was wheezing, wishing he had his inhaler then cursing himself because he knew he didn’t need it. Eddie drove to the quarry that he hadn’t been to since he was barely eighteen. Most of his favorite childhood memories took place here. He remembered the faces of his friends Stan, Bill, Mike, Beverly, Ben, and….and… Richie. Their faces became less and less foggy as he sat on the edge of the cliff that they used to jump from. A pit formed in his stomach, how could he have forgotten? What kind of a person forgets every single one of his childhood friends? The pit in his stomach grew teeth and gnawed on his insides as he remembered more and more. As he remembered playing chicken in the water below. As he remembered the barrens. As he remembered Richie. He kept coming back to Richie. Richie. Richie. Richie.

“Eds?” a tentative voice rang out. Richie was kicking himself for saying that instead of just Eddie. He knew Eddie hated nicknames. Even after all these years, watching Eddie’s shoulders shake with tears tore Richie apart. He quickly eliminated the distance between them and sat next to the crying man. Not knowing what to do, he put an arm around him. Eddie immediately wrapped himself around Richie, breathing in his familiar scent of cigarettes, soap, and something that could only be described as Richie. “W-w-why can’t I remember them, Rich?”

“I don’t know Eds. It happens when people leave Derry, they forget. The others did too.” He said evenly, trying to keep the sadness out of his voice, pretending he hadn’t spent nights upon nights sobbing, wondering why they had all forgotten him after leaving him behind. He hadn’t really considered how it would feel to be the one missing those memories and seeing Eddie have to realize that he had essentially had his whole childhood erased cut deeply. 

“Don’t call me Eds” 

“Sorry.” The pair sat in silence after that, what do you say to someone after decade? Richie had imagined seeing Eddie again a million times. Sometimes he thought he’d be mad at Eddie for abandoning him in his darkest time, for not saving him, for forgetting him. He knew it wasn’t fair to feel that way but he did for a long time. He’d imagined scooping the smaller boy up and covering him with kisses and driving off into the sunset. He’d imagined Eddie telling him he was still a loser, that he was still just a fuckup. Of all the things he’d imagined for some reason he’d never really imagined just sitting with him, like nothing happened. 

“I got your mixtape.” 

Richie’s head immediately swiveled to face him. “The one I put in your mailbox in ’98?” He tilted his head, trying not to be angry that it had taken six years to actually call him. He wasn’t doing a very good job with the whole not being angry thing and it leaked into his voice.

If Eddie heard the anger, he ignored it. “Yeah. I was cleaning out my mom’s house today. She died last year and all but it was just a lot? Are you… is the… is the note still true?” Eddie looked down, putting his hands in his lap, trying to not look into Richie’s eyes because if he saw lies behind those coke bottle lenses he still wore after all this time, he’d shatter. 

“Yep. Haven’t had so much of a drink in six years.” Nerves finally got to him and he reached into his back pocket to grab a cigarette and lighter. “Funny, I beat heroin but could never get rid of these, what did you call them?”

“Cancer sticks.” Eddie laughed crinkling his nose at the smell of the smoke. Richie laughed with him trying to believe this whole thing was actually happening. 

“Richie?”

“Hm?”

He leaned over gently running his hands through Richie’s dark hair before tilting his head, to the left Richie would only kiss to the left much to Eddie’s dismay when they were younger leading to countless bumping of noses and knocking off his glasses, and kissing him. There were no fireworks like people say, instead there were embers left in a fireplace from the night before. Warm, comfortable, refusing to go out. Richie wanted to say something, wanted to tell Eddie about his job at the record store, wanted to ask about Eddie’s life, wanted to listen to the boy’s laugh but the kiss melted all of that. No one could overwhelm Richie like Eddie.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry. Please be gentle on me.


End file.
